Roy's Restaurant - Honolulu, HI Review

Hawaii Regional Cuisine is the term used to describe traditional dishes that are infused with a wide gamut of flavors and ingredients of the islands. There are a few well known names that pop up once this term is spoken-- Alan Wong, Jean-Marie Josselin, Sam Choy...the list goes on. But there is one Hawaii Regional Cuisine chef that epitomizes the Aloha Spirit in his cuisine and staff. Roy Yamaguchi. Roy's Restaurant is my personal favorite in HRC because it encompasses the delicate balance between culinary art, flavor embodiment, and dining experience.

If you have never tried blackened ahi or poke before (a raw favorite amongst the locals), this is the place to start. Roy's offers your traditional foods like crab cakes, house salads, and ribeye steak, but also tempts you with ethnic foods such as szechuan spare ribs, spring rolls, and edamame (soybeans). Hawaii is known for its strong Asian influence on its foods (rice is the common staple), and I always go to Roy's to celebrate a special occasion or when I need that jolt of rich, passionate culinary flair on an otherwise everyday local treat. There is a Roy's that recently opened on the west side of Oahu in Ko'olina, but I find its original location in Hawaii Kai to be the best, bar none.

I highly recommend (if you are a dessert craze like myself) to arrange the Chocolate Souffle to be prepared while your dinner is served. It takes 30 minutes to make, and boy is it worth it. The downfall is the noisy atmosphere, especially for reservations held upstairs on the second floor. While it showcases a great view of East Oahu, its glass walls resonates and amplifies the noisy chatter making the average conversation sound a bit tinny. This is a fine dining restaurant so the price per head is expensive, no doubt. The quality of the food is superb, but it's the exceptional service that stands above the crowd. I have yet to go to Roy's and drink a water glass below half-full without a server rushing over to refill it. When I leave to use the restroom, I return to see my dinner napkin neatly folded to the side. The servers, hostesses, managers, and even the cooks take the time to smile and offer a warm salutation upon entry and exit. You can't beat this service, which is why I come back time and time again.